by yradmin |

KOTA MARUDU, 8 November – Over 700 school children from four rural schools in Kota Marudu and Kudat now have access to water supply and a better quality of life thanks to the restoration of the rainwater harvesting system in their schools.

The four schools are SK Ongkilan, SK Koromoko, SK Masalog in Kota Marudu and SK Sebayan in Kudat.

SK Ongkilan Headmaster, Ismarah bin Madcasar said, “We have an existing rainwater harvesting system. However, it was not operational since the rain gutters which channel the rainwater to the tanks were damaged. That had affected the teachers’ and students’ daily routine classroom activities.”

“Ever since the system was repaired and certain parts replaced, we are now able to collect the rain water and channel it to the teachers living quarters, school laboratory and toilets. The personal hygiene of the students and teaching staff has been greatly improved. Disciplinary cases have been sharply reduced among the students as they no longer need to miss classes to go home to use toilets,” he added.

“We are very grateful to Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M) and the Rotary Club of Likas Bay who came forward to repair and restore the system,” Ismarah ended.

This is the third collaborative effort between the Rotary Club of Likas Bay and YR1M in improving the quality of lives of the people since 2013. The first two projects were water supply projects in Kota Marudu, namely Kampung Timbang Batu and Kampung Manggaris 2.

Speaking at the launch today, the immediate past president of the Rotary Club of Likas Bay Dato’ Ir John Chee said, “Once again, it is a pleasure to work with YR1M.

They are very supportive in projects that are committed to enhancing a better quality of life for the people.”

“The rainwater harvesting system is an eco-friendly and cost effective system that provides sustainable water supply to residents beyond the reach of existing tap-water supply network. It transforms rainwater into a very valuable utility for the schools, especially those with large roof areas and high toilet usage,” he ended.

YR1M Chief Executive Officer Ung Su Ling said, “We are delighted to cooperate with Rotary Club of Likas Bay in the effort to restore and repair the rainwater harvesting system in these schools.”

“It is through this spirit of collaboration that these students can now enjoy the benefit of access to clean water, improved hygiene and a conducive environment for learning,” she added.

“We sincerely hope that projects like these can serve as models for more corporate bodies or charitable organisations and achieve common goals through shared efforts and resources,” she concluded.

The Assistant District Officer of Kota Marudu, Matlunad Agok, was present at SK Ongkilan to officiate the launch and inspect the repaired rainwater harvesting system.